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11 Cozy Mysteries to Enjoy During the Winter Chill

  • Laura Eckert
  • Feb 24
  • 5 min read
Woman in cozy robe reading a book on a white sofa, surrounded by pillows. Warm lighting, bookshelves, and flowers in soft, neutral tones.

By Laura Eckert, Digital Specialist


Enjoy a mystery that matches your cozy winter vibe. These cozy mysteries are low to no gore or gruesomeness. Just captivating characters unraveling twisty mysteries. Perfect for reading under a warm blanket with a cup of cocoa.


These mysteries were published within the past 12 months. They’re either standalones or the first book in a new series.


Cozy Mysteries


Red door on blue house with red and white flowers. Large white text reads "Murder Two Doors Down," and a silhouette with a knife is visible.

Murder Two Doors Down by Chuck Storla

Book description: Brad Hanson’s life in his Atlanta subdivision is unremarkable. His highest achievement is being secretary on the homeowners association board. When someone murders cranky old Inga Oskarsdotter—a frequent source of complaints to the HOA board—Brad is the main suspect. But he takes it upon himself to find the real killer. Then the body count starts to rise.


Series: #1 HOA Homicide series



Two people in suits hold hands outside a colorful house. Text: Dead & Breakfast. Mood is whimsical and inviting, with vibrant flowers.

Dead & Breakfast by Kat Hillis and Roslee Thor

Book description: Married odd couple Arthur and Sal are totally normal. Well, except for being vampires. Ready to settle down and stay out of trouble, the two have opened a bed & breakfast in the idyllic, if not-so-paranormal-friendly, town of Trident Falls, Oregon. But trouble finds them when the mayor is discovered dead in their begonias with two puncture wounds in his neck.


Series: #1 Dead & Breakfast mysteries


Check out the Dead & Breakfast ebook.


Three women with red, brown, and blonde hair hold spyglasses with icons on a teal backdrop. Text: "The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club" by Gloria Chao.

The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao

Book description: The body in the closet was going to be a problem. Kathryn Hu knew it. Yes, Tucker Jones was a cheating scumbag, and yes, she'd agreed to meet Olivia and Elle-Tucker's other girlfriends-to exact revenge. Do they look guilty? Yes. Do they feel guilty for having wished him dead? Maybe a little. But-solid motive and a crime scene covered in their DNA aside-they're innocent. To clear their names, Kat, Olivia, and Elle team up to find the real killer.


Series: #1 Hu Done It mysteries



Two illustrated women face each other in vibrant colors with text "Murder Runs in the Family." A silhouette scene and sunset are in the background.

Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry

Book description: PI-in-training Amber Winslow is down on her luck. She leaves her life to run off to stay with the grandmother she's never met. After arriving at her grandmother's retirement community, Amber discovers that another resident was killed the night before, and her grandmother is the main suspect. Now Amber's determined to use her PI skills to clear her grandmother's name. And find the victim's missing tortoise.



A person in a green apron holds a plate with a sweet potato pie slice and a knife. Text reads "Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes."

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Book description: When Savvy Summers first opened Essie's soul food café, she never expected her sweet potato pie to become the center of a murder investigation. But when Grandy Jaspers drops dead at table two, she suddenly has more to worry about than just maintaining Essie's reputation. Savvy quickly finds herself—and her beloved café—in the middle of a city's worth of bad press. Desperate to clear her name and keep her business afloat, Savvy vows to find who really killed Grandy.


Series: #1 Savvy Summers Mysteries



Book cover: Title "The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant" in bold red. Features silhouettes in magnifying glasses. Mood is playful.

The World’s Greatest Detective and her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully

Book description: Olivia Blunt is thrilled to be the nationally renowned investigator, Aubrey Merritt's assistant. After weeks of boring computer work, Olivia is finally invited to join Merritt on an important case. A local businesswoman fell to her death. The police think suicide but the woman's daughter insists it's not. Merritt and Olivia soon discover that the family is a complicated web of lies, ambitions, and resentments.


Series: #1 Merritt & Blunt Mysteries



A couple walks on a bridge in a countryside setting. There's a church, greenery, and sheep. Text: And Then There Was The One, Martha Waters. Mood: serene.

And Then There Was the One by Martha Waters

Book description: In a quaint village in the Cotswolds in the 1930s, Georgiana Radcliffe has accidentally become an amateur detective. When the chairman of the village council turns up dead, everyone agrees it's a heart attack, but Georgie can't help but suspect it's murder. She reaches out to a famous detective for help, and he sends his secretary. Full of detecting, scones, sheep on the village green, possibly even love.


 Check out the ebook of And Then There Was the One.


Book cover: "A Murder for Miss Hortense" by Mel Pennant. Woman in a yellow coat walks on dominoes, dark blue background, large print label.

A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant

Book description: Retired nurse, avid gardener, and renowned cake maker, Miss Hortense has lived in Bigglesweigh since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. A career in nursing has also left her afraid of nobody, whether an interfering priest or a local drug dealer, and she's an expert in deciphering other people's secrets with just a glance. An unidentified man has been found dead. Suddenly, Miss Hortense finds her long-buried past rushing back, and secrets behind an unsolved crime that has haunted her for decades.



Hand stirring tea with a biscuit, purple and orange background. Text: "Detective Aunty," "When in trouble, call an Aunty," "Uzma Jalaluddin."

Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin

Book description: After her husband's unexpected death eighteen months ago, Kausar Khan never thought she'd receive another phone call as heartbreaking--until her daughter, Sana, phones to say that she's been arrested for killing her landlord. Kausar heads to Toronto for the first time in nearly twenty years. The murder of Sana's landlord is only the latest in a wave of local unsolved crimes. With the help of old friends and her plucky teenage granddaughter, Kausar digs into the investigation to uncover the truth. Because who better to pry answers from unwilling suspects than a meddlesome aunty? But even Kausar can't predict the secrets, lies, and betrayals she finds along the way.


Series: #1 Kausar Khan Investigates


Check out Detective Aunty.


Book cover of Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West. Four characters hold signs with "Sarah Jones"; colorful background, playful mood.

Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

Book description: It feels like kismet when Sarah Jones, newly relocated to Minneapolis after abruptly calling off her engagement, gets invited to join a group of women who share her same name. What starts as a low-stakes meet-up called "The Sarah Jones Project" turns sinister when another local Sarah Jones is found dead, under suspicious circumstances. The surviving Sarahs decide to take matters into their own hands. Can their team piece together where the deceptions lead before the killer silences someone else?



Red book cover features "The Busybody Book Club" with book and eye illustrations, text "Murder is their pick of the month," and author Freya Sampson.

The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson

Book description: Having recently moved from London to a small Cornish seaside village, Nova Davies started a book club at the local community center, but so far it's a disaster. The five members disagree on everything, and to make matters worse, a significant sum of money is stolen during one of the meetings, putting the much-loved community center at risk. Suspicion for the theft falls on book club member Michael, especially when he disappears, and a dead body turns up at his house. While trying to locate Michael, solve the murder, and recover the stolen money, each member has their own secrets to protect.


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